Self-sharpening pencil and eraser combined



Z UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

HENRY B. SOAMMELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SELF-SHARPENING PENCIL AND ERASERCOMBINED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,280, dated February 12, 1884.

Application filed January 11, 1883. No model.) i

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, HENRY B. SOAMMELL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, have invented a'Self-Sharpening Lead-Pencil and Eraser Combined, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention hasfor its object to provide a pencil-h older which possesses means 'ibrsharpening the lead as the same is worn off by use.

To this end the invention consists in the ternal finger-piece will move the carrier for ward and cause the rotation of the pencil-lead between the points or cutting edges of the sharpening device. The external finger-piece or collar of the rotating tube has a screw threaded neck,which receives an india-rubber eraser, and a shell or short tube for partly inclosing the latter.

said lead-carrier.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a pencil embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the leadcarrier and the square-ended-lead seated therei in. Figs. 4 and 5 are plan and side views of Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken'through the outer shell, inner slotted tube, and lead-carrier having asquare seat or socket. Fig. 7 is an end view of the sharpening blades or wings. Fig. Sis an end view of the rubber eraser.

The letter O designates an outer shell or tube, which may be made of metal, hard india-rubber, or other suitable material. This shell has a cylindrical bore, in which is out a screw-thread, 0, extending from the bottom of said shell to a shoulder or ledge, a, near the top thereof. The portion of the shell beyond this shoulder is also screw threaded, and receives an eXternally-screw-threaded ring, G,

which has converging cutting wings or blades 1 F. A tube, D, fitted inside the shell G, has a flange, d, at its upper end, which rests on the ledge or shoulder c of the outer shell, being held in place by the screw threaded ring G, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. The portion of the tube D extending beyond the lower end of the shell 0 forms a collar or enlargement, E, which is flush with the exterior surface of the shell 0, and serves as a finger piece for rotating said tube. Ahollow screw-threaded neck, 6, projecting from the collar or enlargement E, receives an india rubber eraser, H,

in its interior thread, and an apertured cap or short shell, I, is applied to its outer thread, as is shown in Fig. 1. The india-rubber eraser projects sufficiently far through the end of said cap I, and is protected thereby. The tube D contains a traveler-block or lead-carrier, B, which is provided with vertical wings orribs 1), that project through vertical slots d, made in the tube D. These wings'or ribs are screw-threaded, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, and engage with the interior screwthread, a, of the outer shell or case, C. The carrier or traveler B has a sloping square seat or socket, 11 which receives a square ended pencil-lead, A, or a lead made square or angular throughout its entire length. The object of this formation is to prevent the lead from rotating independently of the carrier or traveler B.

The operation of a pencil constructed accordingto my invention is as follows, viz: A pencil-lead having been properly seated in the traveler B, and the parts being in the position shown in Fig. 2, the exterior case is grasped in one hand and the interior tube rotated through the medium of the eXterior'coL lar or finger-piece. This will cause the screwthreaded lead carrier or traveler to turn in the screw-thread of the exterior case and slide forward or upward within the interior tube, the slots in the latter permitting this movement to take place. The pencil-lead carried by the traveler is in this manner gradually fed forward and rotated between the points of the sharpening wings or blades. The portion of the lead projected beyond said blades is sharpened, and forms a point for writing. As the point wears off the lead is fed forward inthe manner above indicated; and thus 1 produce a self-sharpening pencil, which is simple in construction and can be easily operated. It should be stated that the screw-thread in the outer shell for receiving the ring of the sharpening-blades runs in a reverse direction from the thread that feeds the carrier forward, and

thus I guard against the unscrewing of the -ring and sharpener blades by the rotation of one of its ends, an interior rotating tube having vertical slots, and a lead carrier or traveler having threaded Wings projecting through said slots-and engaging with the threads ofthe outer shell, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of the rotating tube D,

having collar or enlargement E, screw-threaded neck 0, shell or cap I, and india-rubber eraser H, with the outer shell, 0, and lead sup porting and feeding devices, substantially as 25 herein set forth.

HENRY B. SGAMMELL. XVitnesses R. T. STILLWELL,

J. V. COLLINS. 

